Halloween Traditions
A Celtic tradition of using hollowed-out turnips with candles inside led to these distinctive & larger Halloween gourds
Jack-o-lanterns
Jason Vorhees
Friday the 13th
Wow! The neighbors gave trick-or-treaters the king size of this Nestle candy bar with a noisy name
Crunch
This animal joined Halloween after the 15th century fear of witches spread through Europe
a black cat
In this "colorful" Poe story, Prince Prospero tries to avoid a deadly plague
"The Masque of the Red Death"
Hawkins, Indiana
Stranger Things
Cho Chang & Fleur Delacour are 2 of the many witches in this book series
Harry Potter
It's said these 2 colors trace back to the festival of Samhain, one representing death & the other the autumn harvest
orange and black
Michael Myers
Halloween
Abe Vigoda & Betty White have appeared in commercials for this candy bar that satisfies
Snickers
Originally, instead of pumpkins, this small root vegetable of the mustard family was used for carving
turnips
A man's harrowing escape from torture during the Spanish Inquisition is recounted in this Poe favorite
"The Pit and the Pendulum"
In "Macbeth" the three witches who prophesy his success & doom are appropriately also known as these "sisters"
the weird sisters
The first time the White House was decorated for Halloween was in 1958, when this president's wife hung owls & goblins
Eisenhower
Freddy Krueger
A Nightmare on Elm Street
This tri-colored sweet, popular on Halloween, has its own national day on October 30
candy corn
On Halloween in 1846, heavy snowfall traps this carnivorous "Party" in the Sierra Nevada mountains
The Donner Party
Come gather by the fire while I share this 1843 story about a murdered man who "took a licking and kept on ticking"
"The Tell-Tale Heart"
The 8th film in this franchise takes place in Manhattan; most of the rest are set near a lake in New Jersey
Friday the 13th
Jadis of Charn is the evil White Witch laying chilly havoc to this C.S. Lewis land
Narnia
This no-hands Halloween game may be related to the Roman celebration of the goddess Pomona
bobbing for apples
Jack Torrance
The Shining
The name of these bite-sized, "rainbow" candies is also a British term for ninepin bowling
Skittles
This Christian holiday also called Hallowmas was created as the day after Halloween to convert people
All Saints' Day
Poe's wife (and cousin), who passed away at age 24, had this name, like the state at whose university Poe studied
Virginia
Amity Island and its surrounding waters, mostly during the Fourth of July weekend in 1975
Jaws
In "The Thirteenth Sacrifice", witches have returned to this city & Boston cop Samantha Ryan is hunting them
Salem
This 20th century illusionist and magician's museum in Scranton, Penn. features an online seance every Halloween
Norman Bates
Psycho
1982, the film E.T. led to a significant increase in this candy's sales, with some reports saying the candy saw a 65% bump
Reese's Pieces
October brings out undead soldiers, vampires & ghosts, all serving the Headless Horseman at Philipsburg Manor in this N.Y. village
Sleepy Hollow
This NFL team was inspired by the poetry of Poe (who was also a resident of the city for most of his life).
The Ravens
Many movies based on his books take place in Derry, Maine
Stephen King
In this play, Rebecca Nurse, among others, is accused of witchcraft, and mass hysteria ensues.
The Crucible